The present invention relates to a stabilizing strip intended for use in reinforced earth or strengthened soil structures, together with the use of such a strip for the construction of reinforced earth or strengthened soil structures.
A reinforced earth structure combines compacted backfill, a facing and reinforcements that are connected or not to the facing.
Various types of reinforcements can be used: metal reinforcements, for example galvanized steel rods, or flexible stabilizing strips, for example polyester fibre-based. They are implanted in the earth at a density dependant on the stresses which may be exerted on the structure. Mention can be made for example of the thrust stresses of the ground which are taken up by the friction between the earth and the reinforcements.
The facing is usually made from precast concrete elements in the form of slabs or blocks, juxtaposed to cover the front surface of the structure.
In certain cases, the reinforcements are supplied in the form of approximately parallelepipedal flexible strips, for example, the surfaces of which are all rectangular. Such strips commonly have a width greater than their thickness, for example ten times greater or even 100 times greater.
Such flexible strips can be approximately 3 to 10 meters long, although shorter or longer strips can be used. The width of such strips is generally between 4 and 6 centimeters, although it is possible to use strips ranging from 10 to 25 centimeters wide, or even more. Their thickness varies, for example, between approximately 1 millimeter and a few centimeters, and is generally between 1 and 6 millimeters.
Non-reinforced stabilizing strips or strips reinforced by means of, for example, parallel fibres or strands of yarn exist.
The aim of the stabilizing strips is to transmit the forces into the soil or the earth and thus distribute the stresses.
In particular, it is necessary to transmit the forces between a strip and the backfill in which it is placed. The strip must therefore have a sufficient surface area to develop, through friction, the required shear strength per unit of length.
Moreover, the strip is preferably capable of transmitting the stresses along its entire length, and therefore has high tensile strength.
A solution known to a person skilled in the art consists of using parallelepipedal polyethylene strips reinforced with polyester fibres arranged parallel to each other in the bulk of said strip.
Another solution, described in WO 95/11351, consists of using strips comprising a longitudinal part in the form of a central part in order to withstand a tensile force. The central part has two lateral parts which protrude laterally on either side of the central part to rub against the soil. The central part also comprises a set of fibres arranged so as to reinforce the tensile strength.
The use of such stabilizing strips in reinforced earth structures can present difficulties, in particular when obstacles are present in the structure. For example, the presence of vertical support columns or conduits can interfere with the positioning of the stabilizing strips.
Such a stabilizing strip has a high structural rigidity in its plane of installation. It is therefore very difficult to make such strips deviate in order to avoid any obstacles.
Such a stabilizing strip is generally arranged flat, its width and length being approximately in a horizontal plane, thus defining the principal plane of such a stabilizing strip.
A purpose of the present invention is to propose a stabilizing strip that can be made to deviate.